Now, fishing is like flirting. There are two ways to catch a fish: (1) The Lure and (2) the Bait.

Though technically a Lure can be a type of Bait, let us distinguish the two by this property: the Lure is flashy, and the Bait has substance. The Lure is analogous to the shallow reasons to like a person: looks, money, humor, talent, etc. And the Bait is analogous to the non-shallow reasons: personality, character, integrity, and so forth.

You don't want to make your bait too big. or the fish won't get hooked. By the time she eats half of the bait, she'll be full and swim away.

Fishing is about timing. You don't want to cast-and-reel too often. The more time your bait spends out of the water, the less chance you'll catch a fish. If you keep reeling it in, you'll scare away the cautious ones. But if you don't reel it in at the right moment: she'll get away.

It's the worst when you think you've caught a big one and it turns out to be seaweed. Or an old tire. Or you've just caught your line on someone else's line.

Needless to say, I am as good at flirting as I am at fishing. Which is to say: amateur at best.

For extra credit in Eastern Philosophy: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.